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The news: US inflation ticked up 0.1% last month and 2.4% YoY, a softer read than many economists expected but one that kept the pressure on consumers already dealing with a higher cost of living. Our take: Retailers, especially grocers and discounters, can set themselves apart by helping consumers save money and be more financially responsible. Offering digital coupons, using in-store signage spotlighting sales on daily essentials, and rewarding loyal shoppers for repeat purchases can foster smarter spending.

This could further propel BNPL volume this holiday season as well as catapult merchants鈥� holiday volume.

The insight: Younger consumers are opting out of human interaction when they shop. Our take: While younger consumers tend to adopt new behaviors faster, they鈥檙e also driving the direction of retail innovation. Retailers looking to stay competitive should prioritize the tech-driven, convenience-first features these shoppers now see as table stakes.

Consumers鈥攅specially Gen Z鈥攁re eager to spend on live events: Summer concert ticket sales are at record levels thanks to high-profile stadium tours and the strong appeal of live experiences.

Grocery delivery intermediaries like DoorDash and Uber are gaining ground, offering new ways to reach high-intent shoppers. Meanwhile, retailers like Walmart and Amazon continue to lead with strong delivery infrastructure and valuable customer data.

The global payments industry will be a $2.3 trillion revenue opportunity in 2028. But shifting business models, new technologies, and alternative payment methods are changing how key card players compete for a share of this revenue.

The Latin American consumer banking market is vast, yet over 40% of consumers are currently underbanked. Foreign banks looking to enter the market can tap this audience, but they should learn from and partner with local fintechs to do so.

The reality: Tariff-driven grocery price hikes have been relatively modest so far this year. Food and beverage prices rose 2.9% YoY through mid-May, up from 1.7% a year earlier, per Circana. While tariffs haven鈥檛 caused a major inflation spike, supply-side shocks鈥攍ike drought, avian flu, and extreme weather鈥攈ave pushed up prices on staples such as coffee, eggs, and chocolate. Our take: Tariffs haven鈥檛 led to major price hikes yet, but that鈥檚 likely to change soon as duties push up costs on goods like seafood, alcohol, and produce. And even before those increases take effect, shoppers are becoming more cautious, more price-sensitive, and quicker to trade down or skip nonessentials altogether.

The BNPL provider has been prepping for this for years. Its profitability push and cost-cutting initiatives should set it up for a strong listing

Economic uncertainty could derail its efforts to reinvigorate growth

Even so, issuers may be slow to lift preemptive APR increases as they brace for economic turbulence

Apple Pay has also integrated Affirm, Klarna, and other BNPL players into its wallet. Our take: Marqeta Flex can help speed up this trend, making it easier for wallets and cards to integrate BNPL options. Eliminating the need for BNPL providers to work with merchants will expand where BNPL can be used and accelerate adoption.

How we got here: Apple Pay started partnering with BNPL players like Affirm shortly before shutting down its in-house Apple Pay Later offering. At the time, Apple said it planned to offer card-linked installments from Synchrony, Citi, and Fiserv. Apple Pay has since added Klarna as a BNPL option as well.

Firms must plan for regulatory changes across areas like BNPL, open banking, crypto, and credit cards

The newly rebranded 鈥淐ash App Afterpay鈥� will help Block more tightly integrate its products into one ecosystem

Examples include Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna, Zip, and PayPal's BNPL service. Some short-term, no-interest loans can be accessed only at retailers. Examples include Bread Pay and SetPay. Services that provide a revolving line of credit, retailer-branded financing options, closed-loop marketplace financing services, and card-linked installment services are excluded.Less.

Gen Z is feeling squeezed: High living costs are driving Gen Zers to spend nearly twice as much as they save, which is leading them to prioritize essentials.

While this is a win for Klarna, merchants may not want to take on the higher transaction costs that sometimes come with BNPL plans

With seamless in-app purchases coming, PayPal could turn Perplexity into a trusted, AI-driven checkout hub鈥攅specially for younger, AI-hungry consumers.

The BNPL industry鈥檚 explosive growth is a thing of the past. The number of US BNPL users will grow only 6.9% in 2024, a major slowdown from prior years. And while payment value will rise at a still-strong rate of 20.8% this year, it too marks a significant deceleration.

Italy鈥檚 digital landscape is evolving fast, driven by shifting consumer and media habits and increasing ecommerce adoption. Recent data reveals the trends shaping digital spending, retail sales, and more.

Australia鈥檚 digital landscape is evolving fast, driven by shifting consumer behaviors, increasing ecommerce adoption, and changing media habits. Recent data reveals trends shaping digital spending, retail sales, and more.

In our exclusive survey with ESW, data from shoppers in 18 countries reveals new twists in the path to purchase, the rising momentum of marketplaces, and the resilience of age-old fundamentals.